gengwall

Hi Craig. Just jumping in to give the ladies a break. THe Greek in vs. 14 and 15 prove conclusively that “the woman” and “she” are not Eve. In verse 14, the “to be” verb is in perfect tense. A correct translation (one of only a few) of the perfect tense in verse 14 can be found in The Concordant Literal New Testament: “yet the woman, being deluded, has come to be in the transgression”. While the deception is in the past, the transgression is STILL ONGOING at the time Paul wrote Timothy. It simply can not be Eve, although Eve is a model of the type of deception based transgression that this Ephesian woman has fallen into. Now, I know, most English bibles translate everything in the past. They are just flat out wrong. Go online and look at any Greek grammar source for the perfect tense in Koine Greek and you will see that the transgression is continuing at the present time. I hate to say almost all of our bible translators have made a huge mistake, but the evidence is clear.

Of course, verse 15 confirms this. “she” and verse 14’s “the woman” are the same person. Certainly this can’t be disputed. And, as many have mentioned, the salvation for the “she” of vs. 15 is in the future and therefore it can’t refer to Eve. If “she” can’t be Eve and “the woman” and “she” are the same (whether it is specific or generic), then “the woman” can’t be Eve. This is simple logic.

As for why Paul brought up Eve – I would say that Eve was the perfect example to contrast transgression from deception vs. transgression from full knowledge (like Adam’s). Adam and Eve are a reference that everyone (or at least every Jew) would clearly understand. In fact, I would say there was no better example that Paul could use.

As to the transgression – certainly the woman was a sinner before she was deceived, as was Paul and everyone else. The point is not that ALL her transgression began at her deception (she isn’t like Eve in that way), but only that the specific one dealing with her false teaching did. She always was a sinner, and would continue to be a sinner even after salvation, just like us all.